title: Induction of metallothionein production by zinc in human mononuclear cells.
abstract: 1. Low mol. wt proteins with high Cd-binding capacity were found to be induced by Zn in cultured monocytes and lymphocytes. 2. In T cell cultures one protein was found to be induced by 125 microM Zn for 6 days, while in monocytes and B enriched cells under these conditions two proteins were found, of which the one with higher mol. wt had similar electrophoretic mobility to the T cell protein on polyacrylamide gels. 3. Mol. wt criteria and crossreactivity towards anti-metallothionein (Mt) antibody identified these proteins to be Mts of about 23 and 27 kDa mol. wt. 4. Metal binding studies indicated that monocyte and lymphocyte Mts had a higher affinity to Zn compared to Cd than rat liver Mt and Mts from Cd-resistant substrains of a human epithelial and a murine fibroblast cell line. 5. The presence of the T cell mitogen phytohemagglutinin (PHA) was found not to be necessary for this Mt induction by Zn.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, National Institute of Public Health, Norway.
authors.forename: O J
authors.initials: OJ
authors.lastname: Mesna
authors.forename: I L
authors.initials: IL
authors.lastname: Steffensen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Melhuus
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hjertholm
authors.forename: H E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Heier
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Andersen
mesh_terms: D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D006801:Humans; D008668:Metallothionein / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009000:Monocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D015032:Zinc / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D008668:Metallothionein; D015032:Zinc